Breaking Light
by Miss Yaoi Hands
Summary: A group of teens blessed with the powers of the stars balance the safety of the universe with young love and homework. Lux struggles to coordinate her new team while dealing with rabid, aggressive creatures and a just as aggressive new love interest. However, she'll soon find that loving too deeply is how a star falls. Star Guardian AU!
1. Chapter 1: Lux

_"Loving too deeply... that's how a star falls."_

 **Breaking Light**

Chapter One: Lux

* * *

It was late in the Friday afternoon at Demaxia High. The days chatter was silent and debris was fluttering in the breeze. Almost all of the students were gone except for one— Luxanna Crownguard. The pink-haired girl was sitting inside the library finishing up her extra credit homework, not like she needed to. She kept her lilac eyes on her calculus textbook as she scribbled equations into her notebook. Some would consider her a nerd, a know-it-all, and pretty much a loser. She was nothing like her older brother, Garen, who had recently graduated from their school. He was head of the school's varsity football team, earning them a few state championships. While Garen was charismatic and well-liked, Lux was kind of a loner and focused on her studies than she was making friends.

Lux's hand hit the table and she glanced down, see that she had written the last half of her homework on the library table. Just then she heard the unmistakable sound of the librarian's one-inch heels coming her way. The pink-haired student rushed to scrub the pencil marks from the beige table with her eraser. She looked up and saw the fifty-something-year-old woman standing there with her wrinkly hands on her hips. Lux smacked her notebook over the writing and gave her a big smile.

"Hello, Miss Whisperday!" She greeted.

Miss Whisperday was an unmarried, unhappy old lady. Shackled to her job as a high school librarian, she wasn't fond of any student. That didn't matter when a majority of the students didn't like her either. Whether she chose this job or forced into it because of her last name, it was hilariously ironic. Her long black shirt hung down to her weak-looking ankles and her thick glasses were about as ancient as her. Miss Whisperday did certainly look like the stereotypical mean librarian. However, there was a rumor going around that she had a secret profile on a well-known dating app.

"Lux," the old librarian started. The pink-haired student knew that Miss Whisperday wasn't in a good mood— nothing surprising. She poked up her thick glasses, "It's almost five o'clock on a Friday. I have better things to do than sit in here with only one student in the library. Can't you do your homework, I don't know, at home?"

"Sure, Miss Whisperday. I'll pack up after I finish this equation— "

"No, Miss Crownguard. Now." With that last demand, the older woman turned on her heel. Lux watched her pull out a cellphone from her pocket and start to scroll through something she couldn't see. Whatever it was, Miss Whisperday was chuckling to herself.

The pink-haired girl sighed as she closed her textbook, gathered her pencils, and put them into her backpack. She threw it over her shoulders before walking towards the front door. Lux looked back at the librarian taking a photo of herself with a seductive pose. Thoroughly grossed out, she exited the building. Maybe those rumors about Miss Whisperday were true.

The late fall afternoon brought a small breeze. It blew passed the young teen, carrying a few different colored leaves along with it. In the distance, coming from the back of the school, Lux could hear shouting and whistles being blown. The football teams were still practicing she assumed. The pink-haired girl walked towards the back fields. She liked football much to everyone's surprise. It had mostly to do with her watching her brother practice after school everyday when he was attending. After finishing up whatever she needed done, Lux would sit in the bleachers and cheer on her brother. Now that he had graduated and was playing in college, she didn't have time to see any games.

The empty hallways were so calming to her. No other students bumping into her and making her drop her books. She slowed down as she looked over a poster advertising the dance next month. Lux knew no one would ever ask her to go with them. Even if it was a low-budget high school dance, she would want to see if they actually were like the ones in teen romances she frequently watched. She could picture it in her head. Lux standing there beside a boy in the cutest dress she could think of. He would hold her hand as he lead her to the middle of the dance floor. Her peers would whisper things as they gazed in envy or admiration at her sparkling smile. The music in the background would fade as she stared into her date's eyes and he would lean in for a kiss.

Lux didn't realize she was almost pressing her lips on the paper poster when she came back to her senses. She shook her head, her pink ponytails swaying back and forth. The teen girl continued on her way towards the football field with her face lightly blushing red. Her eyes noticed one classroom had the door open. Was there still a teacher here? She then realized it was her history teacher's room. Maybe she could drop by for a quick hello before she went on her way. As she came closer to the open door she could hear voices on the inside. Considering the tense tone, it didn't sound like a very pleasant conversation.

"I told you, Kayn, if you don't get this grade up you're going to fail my class. If you fail, we can't keep you on the baseball team." She heard her teacher, Mr. Caulfield, warn. Not only was he the history teacher he was also the baseball coach. Lux knew exactly who he was talking to and she writhed in anger.

Kayn Sheida was in her advanced placement history as well as her physical education class. He was a show off who claimed to be better than everyone else. However, Lux couldn't deny that he was pretty good at sports. Kayn would be the first to finish laps while Lux was slower than the overweight kid. But when it came to classwork, he was as helpless as a bird in a fish tank. How he was in her history class she would never guess. Kayn happened to be the best player on the school's baseball team. He averaged ten home runs per game and was undefeated when it came to his ability to strike out other players.

"I know, Mr. Caulfield. I just don't understand the work." Lux heard Kayn's lame excuse. All there was to do was memorize dates and specific events— it wasn't that hard. Then again, Lux did have an absurdly good memory. The pink-haired girl leaned over slightly to see inside the classroom and there she saw them sitting at his desk. Mr. Caulfield was shaking his head while he skimmed along a few papers.

"Kayn, I'm going to suggest getting some tutoring. Seems like you're just barely passing your other classes as well." The coach sighed. "Look, Kayn, I know you're smart. You just have to put some effort. There is tutoring in the library during lunch and after school."

"But after school is for practice."

"I'll let it slide for you. I'm sure missing a few sessions won't dull that left arm of yours. Grades first, Kayn." Mr. Caulfield stated as he got up from his desk. He then noticed Lux standing behind the door and she immediately hid. He walked over to where she was cowering. "Lux!" He greeted with a big smile and her loud voice made her squeal. "Come in! I was just telling Kayn about the tutoring in the library. Maybe you could help him out."

"You tutor? You're just a junior." Kayn narrowed his yellow eyes at her.

"Lux happens to be the smartest girl on campus. I recommend her myself to be a tutor in the program. She hasn't had anyone fail yet!" The teacher praised her. It was flattering… and true. However, the last person she would ever want to help was Kayn.

Lux didn't like him. He was an arrogant, self-centered show off. Not to mention, he would single her out. After running laps around her, Kayn would taunt her by an taking extra go around the track. To add more insult, the ebony-haired teen sat right in front of her during history class. He would purposely knock down her things but pretend like it was an accident. Lux didn't care if he was the star baseball player. He was a jerk.

"I actually have a bit of things on my plate already, Mr. Caulfield." She lied. Her history teacher knew it too.

"I'll give you an automatic pass on our next quiz."

"Are you bribing me to tutor you _HIM_?" Lux chuckled in disbelief. "I can't help him."

"What's wrong with tutoring _ME_?" Kayn growled at her.

"The next three tests."

"Mr. Caulfield…" Lux shook her head, "I really can't."

"Tutor him or I'm dropping you down to an A-."

"What?! No!" The pink-haired girl gasped.

"B+. Think about Valoran University, Lux. Would they really accept you with a three point nine grade point average?" Mr. Caulfield smirked as he saw the top student slouch in defeat.

"Fine! I'll do it!" Lux growled.

"Excellent! I knew you'd come through!" Mr. Caulfield sat at his desk in front of Kayn and Lux, who were glaring at each other. The teach cleared his throat as he continued to look at Kayn's other grades. "Kayn, you're barely passing your Calculus and Chemistry classes. Lux, you're in the senior's advanced calculus, right?"

"Yes…"

"And you already passed Chemistry last year, correct?"

"Yes, Mr. Caulfield."

"Alright, it's settled. Lux, after school and during lunch you're going to help out Kayn until he has at least a B." Mr. Caulfield stood up from his chair with a big smile. He patted the teen boy's shoulder roughly. "Alright, Kayn. We're done here. Go ahead and talk to Lux."

"No thanks…" Kayn growled as he picked up his bag from the floor and stormed out of the empty classroom. Mr. Caulfield's brow arched up before he glanced to Lux, who was just as upset as Kayn. Before the teacher could say something to her, the pink-haired girl rushed out as well.

* * *

Lux didn't even stop to watch the football team like she wanted to. She was just too upset on what just happened. How could Mr. Caulfield force her into helping _Kayn_? He actually threatened to drop her grade just because Kayn wasn't keeping his own up. There wasn't anything that difficult about just doing the work. Lux assumed he was either incredibly stupid or lazy. Something told her it was probably both.

The pink-haired girl decided to take the shortcut to her house through the woods. Lux just wanted to get home and finish her homework. Her desk inside her room was calling her name. Being a Friday, Lux knew she was probably going to spend the whole weekend studying. She could see the fence to her gated neighborhood in the distance and she decided to slow down. Lux pulled out her phone from her pocket, her tiny star charm jingling lightly.

She pulled up the social media site, MorelloBook, and tapped on the search bar. Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance as she entered Kayn Shieda. The pink-haired girl was so annoyed that she just had to see what he even was. Not to her surprise, he had over five thousand friends and numerous pictures of himself. Photos of him in his baseball uniform, of him eating Ionian-food, and one of him shirtless. Lux froze at the sight of his tight abdomen and his fit biceps. As she scrolled through the comments, she saw dozens upon dozens of people swooning over him. Lux scoffed as she closed her phone.

"Idiot…"

Lux didn't seem to notice a bright green light shooting across the sky. When she heard a woman's voice, she looked up. She stopped in her tracks as a bright ball of glittering light came towards her. As it came closer, it illuminated the trees and the teen girl. It hovered in front of her and Lux gazed at it cautiously.

"Help! Please help!" It faintly cried. The light was right in front of her but the voice calling to her sounded miles away.

"Hello?" Lux asked it, her finger coming close to it. She lightly poked it and the ball burst. The pink-haired girl gasped as she jumped back. In the glittering light, Lux could make out the shape of a older woman. The teen had to admit she was very beautiful with her long, green hair and elegant horn. She seemed distraught as she held a long staff in her hand.

"I don't have a lot of time! They are overtaking us! We're outnumbered! Whoever is to get this message, tell the First Star most of us have fallen! Only I and another remain." The woman didn't seemed to be talking directly to Lux— it was more like a last minute message. The silhouette of the woman held her hands up as if she was going to pray. "I'm sending you the power, sister! Find the rest!"

The horned woman gave a silent prayer before completely disappearing. Just then, the light that was illuminating the woods around her soon engulfed Lux. In the bright lights she could see some sort of magic wrapping around her arms in legs. It twinkled as it left long gloves and boots behind. The light soon formed a short skirt and ribbons around her ponytails. The magic suddenly vanished and Lux was left dumbfounded in the middle of the woods.

She looked down at the attire she was blessed with. The teen immediately felt the most uncomfortable draft underneath her skirt. It wasn't something she would usually wear— and it wasn't in the school's dress code either. Lux then noticed her hand was holding a staff.

"What the in the world…" She whispered to herself. On the baton, there was a bright star just like the one on her chest. Her gloved fingers touched it.

With a quick wave of the baton, a ball of light formed in the grass. Lux stared at it as he hovered there before shooting up into the sky. She watched it spread into four different directions. Red, purple, green, and blue is what she caught.

"Find the rest…" Lux remembered the mysterious woman saying. The teen girl looked ahead and saw her home not too far away. However, there was something telling her to turn around. The image of that distraught woman appeared in her head again. "Find the rest, Lux." Then, Lux stuffed her baton into her backpack and ran back to where she came...

* * *

 _Notes: Welcome to my new Star Guardian story! The lovely people on my favorite discord server voted this to be written next! If you're reading, thanks I love you! I know you'll have some questions but I can't answer a lot without spoiling my big surprises! But yes, this is going to feature Lux/Kayn and two other pairings (but that is a secret right now.) We will see Ahri and her team but not too soon! We have some sister guardians to find!_

 _I hope you'll all keep reading to the end!_

 _See you next chapter!_


	2. Chapter 2: Janna

**Breaking Light**

Chapter Two: Janna

* * *

The evening dusk was approaching and it was getting incredibly chilly. Downtown was starting to fill up with people starting their weekends. An older teen named Janna was walking by herself, her eyes trained on something. Another teen boy her age was a few feet in front of her smoking the last of his cigarette. She had been following him since school was out for the day.

His name was Yasuo and Janna has fancied him for quite a while. She knew she shouldn't considering the rumors about him. Yasuo was a troublemaker… or at least trouble knew how to find him. Still, she was attracted to his rugged handsomeness and cool vibes. He was a loner just like her. Janna didn't know how to talk to him and that's why she was following him. He never seemed to notice her but she was used to that. He never noticed her in school so why would that change outside of school.

Janna kept about seven feet behind him, enough to not smell his cigarette smoke but close enough to be considered comfortable. She knew exactly where he was headed since he went there about everyday. Yasuo, with a training wooden sword at his side, was headed to his dojo. It was a traditional Ionian training dojo, its lessons ranged from blade wielding, to kung-fu, to meditation. He was training to use a katana and from what Janna has witnessed he was rather good. His wooden sword swept through the air like a soft breeze. No sound just force. Janna assumed he was taking up this hobby to protect himself from the trouble always seeming to find him.

Yasuo flicked his cigarette butt on the concrete before stomping out the last of the burning tip. He pulled a new one from his pocket as he took his usual shortcut through an alleyway. Janna felt suddenly uneasy. As Yasuo clicked his lighter for a flame, a few figures came from out of the shadows. Three older boys stepped in Yasuo's path and Janna hid behind a nearby dumpster. The Ionian teen sighed as he put his unlit cigarette behind his ear.

"What do you idiots want now?" He asked, his voice dull and uninterested.

"We just wanted to check up on our old friend, Yasuo." Explained the one in the middle. He seemed to be the leader as the other two kept behind him. By the look of their aggressive stance, they seemed to be up to no good. "Haven't seen ya in a while. Not since what happened to—"

"Get out of my way, losers." Yasuo rolled his eyes as he tried to step passed them. The leader bumped into him, not letting Yasuo step around him.

"Hey! I wasn't finished talking to you yet! I consider that a bit rude." He snarled as he shoved Yasuo back. His two thugs behind started to close in on him and Janna began to panic.

Should she run out to the street for help or should she intervene herself? She didn't know how she would be able to assist but she needed to do something. What could a teen girl do against three thugs? As she debated on what to do, Janna felt something fall on to her shoulder. The purple-haired teen glanced over and saw a small white animal looking back at her. It was a cross between a cat and a fox and it had a short horn growing from it's forehead. Janna gasped as it cuddled up to her before jumping to her hand. Her school uniform had transformed into purple and white dress with long stockings. Stars accented her hair and her boots. The mysterious animal transformed into a long staff and she suddenly felt powerful.

Janna looked back over at Yasuo and she saw him pulling the wooden sword from his waist. Now alarmed, the three thugs lunged for him. The lilac-haired girl jumped out from her hiding place and she swung her staff. A glittering orb surrounded Yasuo, protecting him. The three teen boys gasped while Yasuo stood over them. He stuck his cigarette back in his mouth as he glared down at them.

"Need a girl to fight your battles, Yas? What would Yone think?" The leader of the gang spat.

"Girl?" Yasuo mumbled as he glanced over his shoulder. His brown eyes spotted Janna standing behind him. He didn't recognize her but he felt like he knew her. As he kept his focus on her, one of the thugs crept up behind him holding a short knife.

"Yasuo, look out!" Janna shouted as she ran in front of him. She used herself to separate him from the three other teens and she held her staff above her head. A strong typhoon blew around her, blasting the enemies back. Trash and glitter flew around the tight alleyway and the three thugs slid across the pavement. As the winds died down, they got to their feet and backed away from Janna.

"Don't think this is over, Yasuo! We'll get you and your girlfriend too!" The leader warned before they disappeared into the dark alley. Janna watched them until they were out of sight. Then… it dawned on her on what just happened. A cat from the sky gave her powers and the first time she interacts with Yasuo is by saving him from a gang fight. A bright red blush washed over her as she slowly looked back. Yasuo had this thick brow cocked up at her with his cigarette between his teeth.

"Uh," He started. "Thank you?" His eyes narrowed at her. Janna felt her knees shaking and Yasuo tilted his head slightly, "You seem familiar. Have we met before?"

"No! Bye!" Janna said before bolting off. Her heels clicked down the sidewalk as she ran as fast as she could.

"Hey, wait!" She heard him call after her.

The teen girl's staff returned back to it's animal form as she kept running down the street. It flew ahead, glancing back every now and then. Janna suspected that it wanted her to follow. Her blue eyes caught the horned animal floating into a different alley. When she turned the corner, she ducked behind a few trash cans. She saw Yasuo stop on the sidewalk, trying to catch his breath. After a moment, he continued to try and find her.

Janna sighed as she got back to her feet. The magical animal landed on her shoulder and nuzzled up to her. Cautiously, she stroked its fur. To her surprise, it purred before hovering around her.

"What are you?"

* * *

Lux didn't know where she was headed but this is where she saw one of the stars fly off too. It couldn't be that hard to find a giant, glowing purple star. She looked down at the GPS she had on her cell phone and she saw that she was in the middle of downtown. The pink-haired girl glanced up and noticed someone she recognized from school. Janna, a senior she had in her honor's literature class. What could she be doing all alone downtown?

Just then Janna turned into a alleyway. Lux saw that she was following a boy. A sly smirk appeared on her face. Was Janna meeting secretly with her true love in an alley? It was just like her favorite romance movies. Lux chuckled to herself as she crept towards where the older girl had disappeared. She glanced around her surroundings, noting that there weren't a lot of people walking around anymore. The pink-haired girl checked the time on her phone. It was almost seven o'clock.

"Oh, mom isn't going to happy if I'm late for din—"

Suddenly, a quick flash of glitter zipped passed Lux's head and into the alleyway, blowing her hair back. She recognized the purple trail— it was the star she saw before. Lux fixed her ponytails before she glanced around the corner, seeing Janna with a mysterious fluffy animal. Just then, it used familiar magic to turn Janna's clothes into something similar to Lux's skirt and boots. However, instead of a baton like her own, the fluffy animal turned into a long staff.

Lux watched the older teen run off to the boy she was following. She didn't even realize he was being jumped by some thugs. Janna steps in front of him and raised her staff over her head. A monstrous typhoon blew the goons away and knocked Lux onto the sidewalk. Trash flew into the street and Lux had to dodge a trashcan before it fell on her. She got up from the ground, her butt aching from the sudden impact. Before she knew it, Janna was running out of the alley and down the street. Lux blinked, wondering if she should call out to her. Then, the boy in the alley followed soon after. He shouted for her and that is when Lux decided to move.

She saw the older boy stop to catch his breath before he kept running. They both lost Janna. Lux sighed— there goes finding the rest of the shooting stars. The pink-haired girl heard rustling in a different alley and she turned. She spotted Janna standing up from behind a few trash cans. Janna and the mysterious magical animal looked at each other momentarily.

"What are you?" She asked it when it cuddled up to her.

"It's a star." Lux answered. Her voice scared both the older teen and the star animal. It hid in Janna's long, lilac hair. "Uh, hi, Janna. You probably don't recognize me but I'm Lux."

"Yes, we're in first period together."

"Ha, yeah." Lux looked up at the magical animal poking out of her long locks. "I bet you're wondering how I know what your little friend is… and why I'm dressed like you. It's kind of a confusing story that I don't fully understand myself."

"Anything is better than nothing, Lux." The older teen reassured her.

* * *

"So, a woman from the sky begged for help and threw magic at five random people?" Janna asked Lux as they walked down the same road she was following Yasuo on. She had mentioned that she had parked her car and offered Lux a ride home. Lux agreed because she wanted to explain to Janna on what happened within the last two hours and if she couldn't make sense of it. She also needed a ride home before her mom sends out a missing persons squad to look for her.

"I don't think is was random. Your little guardian seemed to fly right to you." The pink-haired girl explained as she walked beside her new friend. Janna pulled her car keys from her bag and clicked on the black key ring. A white car a few feet away beeped as the doors unlocked. "I think it needs a name. It does seem to possess the powers of wind."

"How about Zephyr?" Janna suggested as she opened her driver's side door. The star animal purred in delight. "I'll take that as a yes. What was your power, Lux?"

"Light, surprisingly." The younger teen sat beside Janna in the passenger seat. She adjusted her seat belt while the purple-haired girl threw a few loose items, like a book and a hairbrush, in the backseat.

"I don't think it's that surprising. You're a bright girl. Guess these star people take things literally." Janna shrugged, "What else do you know about these stars?"

"Well, nothing other than there are three more of us we have to find. A red, blue, and green star." Lux thought, trying to remember where she saw those fly off to.

"We might have to wait until tomorrow to start searching together. I need to get home."

Janna drove by a familiar dojo and she started to slow down. Inside the window, she spotted Yasuo swinging his wooden sword into a training dummy. He was dripping with sweat and shirtless. Lux noticed that her new friend was blushing a deep red. Janna stepped on the gas when Yasuo glanced in their direction. Lux had to hold on to her seat and Zephyr nearly flew into the backseat with the speed Janna went in.

"I don't think it's my place to ask but... who is that?"

"Yasuo." Janna sighed, "I've had this major crush on him since freshman year. It's so pathetic, I know." Janna groaned as she turned onto the freeway, "He hasn't noticed me until tonight. He asked if he knew me. I got scared and ran... He chased me. It's all a blur."

"That's adorable!" Lux giggled, "I wish I had a cute little crush."

"You mean there's no guys at all? No one has noticed a girl as pretty as you?"

"The only **boy** to ever give me the slightest bit of attention is Kayn Shieda... Thad big, dumb **_jerk_**!"

"Oh, yeah. I know Kayn. He was in my biology class a few years ago." Janna nodded, "He isn't as dumb as he looks but he's got a giant mouth. Wouldn't keep quiet if he got an answer right. Never seen him interact with girls, however."

"Maybe he like guys."

Janna and Lux both glanced at each other before giving a loud laugh.

"Or... he likes you?"

"I hope not. I'd rather have him knock over all my books than have him flirt with me." Lux said, disgusted.

Janna kept her eyes on the road, following Lux's directions to her house when she gave them. The pink-haired girl looked up at the darkening sky, wondering if what Janna said could be true. If Kayn did like her, it made a lot of sense. He went out of his way to make her say miserable. She assumed it was because he was a senior and she was a junior in his class. However, she couldn't worry about that now. She had to keep her mind on following these other "sisters". Lux couldn't say why, but she felt a sudden anxiousness when she thought about it, like she had a deadline.

Lux and Janna has to find these other stars fast before something bad happens...

* * *

 _Notes: Yeah, Janna/Yasuo is pairing two! We probably won't see pairing three for a few chapters depending on how long these chapters will get. I hope you'll keep reading!_

 _Reviews are appreciated!_

 _See you next chapter!_


	3. Chapter 3: Jinx

**Breaking Light**

Chapter Three: Jinx

* * *

Of course Jinx had to start the new school week getting in-school detention. It wasn't an actually school day until Jinx got into some kind of trouble. She was usually ditching class but this time she had spray painted profanity in the main office. Principle Fiora Laurent had given the red-haired girl more than enough warnings but Jinx always ignored her. Yet, there she sat with the other troublesome teens. It was too quiet in the school's old gym. Since the newer, bigger one was built, this gymnasium was mostly used for in-school detention and storage.

Jinx sat in her fold up chair, braiding one side of her hair and undoing it as she finished. She repeated the process with the most bored look on her face. The teacher that had the unfortunate job of watching them for today had given them word puzzles to do. However, Jinx scribbled curse words into the back of the page instead of actually passing the time finding words. The red-headed girl was just praying for something to happen. She imagined an alien-like monster crashing through the swinging doors, taking the teacher watching over them in its long tentacles, and then swallowing him whole. Jinx giggled to herself.

"Quiet over there, Jinx." The grouchy teacher growled. He lowered his sunglasses, "Principle Laurent told me to keep a special watch on you."

She rolled her scarlet eyes while she sunk into her seat. As she glanced around, she spotted a rubber band on the floor. An idea flew through her mind as she thought of what she could do with it. With a toothy grin, she faked stretching her arms and dropped her pencil. Jinx bent over to pick it and the rubber band up. She hid the rubber band under her sleeve as she straightened up.

Jinx scanned around the room, seeing the back exit wasn't too far from where she was sitting. She glanced around again. Her eyes noticed some poorly-made vase probably put there for storage. The whole old gymnasium was a big mess. The red-haired girl figured if she could somehow bust the vase from where she was she could escape out the back door. As she thought, jinx twirled the pencil in her fingers.

The it struck her.

Pulling back the elastic and lining up the pencil in the direction of the vase, Jinx squinted. A wicked grin grew on her face as she let go of the pencil. It flew through the air and hit its mark. The vase shattered to pieces, scaring everyone in the room. The teacher got up from his desk to see what had happened. Some of the students got up as well and in the mix of the confusion, Jinx hurried for the back door. She had to keep in her laughter as she busted through the doors. Jinx didn't look back as she ran for the back fences.

"Later, idiots!" Jinx cackled.

Just as she thought she was free, Jinx ran head first into something. Knocked back, Jinx rolled over onto the grass. Whatever she ran into, it was sticky. She rubbed her hand over the front of her shirt, feeling the thick goop on the fabric and now on her fingers. Her scarlet eyes glared up, seeing a huge violet monster in front of her. She felt her skin crawl when it turned to look at her. In its tentacles was rabbit— and it was half eaten. Its eleven eyes blinked down, focusing on its next meal.

"Oh, you're one ugly motherfu—"

It roared at Jinx who immediately rolled over when it tried to grab her with it's long, claw-like hands. Jinx knew that she was too far away to scream for help— not like she wanted it anyway. The red-headed tough girl could fight this on her own. From her backpack, she pulled out a few firecrackers and a lighter from her pocket. Jinx lit the cherry bombs before rolling them under the monster. It curiously gazed at the lit fuse and the girl took the opportunity to run as fast as she could away from the firework. Before she knew it, it exploded, letting out a loud boom across the open field.

Jinx laughed maniacally while she looked back at the thick smoke. However, the monster wasn't dead. In fact, it was angered. As the smoke cleared, Jinx saw the beast snarling. The girl lit another cherry bomb as it charged at her. It roared, opening its mouth wide enough for Jinx to throw the firework inside. Before she could run out of its path, the monster tackled Jinx. The brute power of the beast sent the girl flying. Her snorted while spitting out the defused cherry bomb out.

When she thought she was going to hit the ground, Jinx braced for impact. But… she felt herself floating in the air. Tugging her by her sleeves were two cute creatures, one black and the other white. They lowered her to the ground before the black ball darted off. It tackled the creature right in the forehead, dazing it. Together the two glittering balls danced around Jinx. Stardust surrounded her light a tornado, changing her torn jeans and sweater into a magical outfit. Jinx glanced down at her new outfit and the two creatures cheered. Before she could catch up on what was happening, the formed into a mini-gun and a rocket launcher. She admired them before the monster came back to its senses. The red-haired girl stood in front of it, challenging it with a toothy grin.

"Okay, tough guy. You wanna fight?" Jinx snickered as she aimed her new gun at the beast.

* * *

The school's bell rang out throughout the halls, alerting students and teachers that classes are over and another was starting. Crowds of students filled the walkways but Janna and Lux managed to stick by each other as they chatted. Lux has asked Janna to meet her before she went her history class.

"Do you think it would be another student?" Janna asked Lux as she walked beside her in the hallway.

Her voice was low and she frantically looked around as if they had some terrible secret. Janna had mentioned to the pink-haired girl that she didn't tell her parents what had happened the other night. Lux didn't tell her parents the truth either when they asked where she had gotten the strange baton. She lied and said it was a replica baton of an anime she bought online. The young teen didn't think they'd take her getting light powers from a complete stranger too well.

"It could be…" Lux said, "I don't think these Star Guardians are going to recruit some old women or even boys into their ranks. Could you imagine either of those things dressed like us?"

"Star Guardians?"

"I…" Lux blushed, "Just thought that would be an easier thing to say than alien-people-giving-us-star-powers-to-help-them or something to that degree. They're stars and they're guarding something."

"I like it," Janna chuckled.

"I just hope we find these other girls soon. I don't know why but I have this weird feeling something bad is going to happen."

"What did you eat for lunch? I bet that feeling is from the food they served today— if you could call it food anyway."

"Nothing because I went straight to the library." Lux groaned, remembering that she gave up on pizza to help Kayn with classwork. However, the boy didn't even show up. Yet, Lux still waited for him. It didn't really matter anyway. If he didn't want the help that was fine with her.

"Oh, right." Janna sighed, "I forgot you told me Mr. Caulfield is making you tutor that headache. I'm sorry, Lux. Maybe after class we can get something to eat?"

"You're not going to the dojo?" Lux asked slyly. She didn't forget her little rescue mission involving Yasuo. She saw her friend physically feel her words with a cringe. Janna's eyes looked around as she tried to hide her blush. The pink-haired girl couldn't help but giggle. She'll have to get her to confront that boy eventually.

"W-Well… Not to… No! I figured that Yasuo would most likely be looking out for me… I even ditched my math class so I wouldn't see him."

"You're going to have to see him. It's not like you can hide forever." The pink-haired girl explained, "You never know. Maybe he'll want to thank you?"

"I… don't know. What would he even say to me? _Hey, girl I don't know. Thanks for blowing away those thugs with your weird powers!_ " The older girl sighed. "I just want to know if—"

Two glittering orbs flew passed the two students, covering them in stardust. Lux's eyes followed them, realizing those were like the orb that followed Janna a few days ago. The weird thing was no one other than them seemed to notice. They glanced at each other, wordlessly agreeing to following the orbs. As the students around them entered their classrooms, Janna and Lux ran towards the back of the school.

Lux reached for the star-shaped gem in her pocket, swinging it around until it turned into her light baton. Janna followed behind with Zephyr emerging from the gem she had in her bag. The magic of the two weapons turned their school clothes into the Star Guardian outfits. As they came closer to where they last saw the two orbs, they heard an explosion coming from near the back fence. Janna swung her staff, letting a magic tailwind carry the girls faster than they could run.

They saw smoke and a red-haired girl with a lighter. As they came closer to her, Lux recognized the girl as Jinx, a troublemaker infamous around the school for pulling pranks. Were the cherry bombs just another way to disturb the peaceful school? Lux assumed so until she saw a large, disgusting creature walking from out of the smoke. It roared before tackling Jinx, sending her flying. Janna gasped, trying her hardest to catch the girl with a tornado but something else got there first. Two black and white orbs lowered the girl safely to the ground before turning her clothes into something similar to the Star Guardian uniform.

"Okay, tough guy. You wanna fight?" Jinx snickered as she aimed her rocker launcher towards the beast. It blew a rocket into the chest of the monster, blowing it to pieces. Goops and alien body parts rained on the grass as Jinx laughed. Lux and Janna walked up behind the new Star Guardian as she kicked the monster's head over the fence with her boot. "Later, dummy."

"What was that thing?" Janna asked as they approached Jinx.

"What the hell?!" Jinx gasped. She looked down at the other girl's clothes. "You're dressed just like me? And you have weapons just like I do? What's going on?"

"It's a long... complicated situation..." Lux said. She stuck out her hand towards Jinx, "I'm Lux and this is Janna. We can talk about it after school? What do you say?"

"Eh, no thanks." Jinx groaned while she started to walk towards the fence, her boots crushing more of the monster's body parts. She looked over her shoulder, "I was trapped in in-school detention. I'm not going back. I'm hopping over this fence and getting out."

"Okay, we'll join you. My car is parked across the street anyway." Janna mentioned. She used her wind magic to lift her and the other girls over the fence.

"W-Wait. I can't ditch! I have history right now." Lux argued while she clung onto the fence.

"Yeah. But do you really want to go and see Kayn?" Janna smirked. The pink-haired girl shook her head. "Okay, good. Let's go to McDoran's. I'm starving."

* * *

The McDoran's on the other side of town was as empty as it could get. There was one fry cook, one cashier, and one sad-looking middle-aged man mopping the floor. The three girls sat in the farthest booth so they could discuss what had just happened. Lux had explained to them again what the horned woman told her a few days ago. On the car ride to the fast food restaurant, Jinx had named her two cute creatures Kuro and Shiro. Just like the other girl's weapons, they hid in a star shaped gem.

"So... you mean to tell me that a star lady, who was being attacked by something, gave you two these powers?" Jinx asked before she shoveled fries into her mouth. Janna sipped on her extra-large soda as she glanced over at Lux who was snacking on chicken nuggets. The poor girl looked distraught over ditching her last class of the day. She could see it over her pale face.

"That is as simple as it gets," Janna answered. "We don't know all the details of the situation however. The lady that gave us these powers told Lux she needed to gather all of us. Us being five Star Guardians. We don't know what will even happen if we all get together."

"Maybe that monster that attacked Jinx was the one that attacked that woman as well." Lux added. "Do you know where it came from, Jinx?"

"No. It was by the fence as I was making a break for it."

"Odd..." Lux thought to herself.

"Look, if this means I have to be in a team with you two and then some other losers..." Jinx started, "Count me in. I love blowing shit up, even more so if there's monsters involved."

"Then we should hurry and find the other two Star Guardians!"

* * *

 _See you next chapter!_


	4. Chapter 4: Poppy and Lulu

**Breaking Light**

Chapter Four: Poppy and Lulu

* * *

Lux held her books close to her chest as she walked down the hallway leading towards the library. Just a few kids were left on campus after the bell rang. They chatted as they walked passed the pink-haired girl, mentioning something about the upcoming dance. The two female students gushed over how a boy one had a crush on had asked her. She sighed, noting she'll probably be busy finding the rest of the Star Guardians instead of looking for a dress to wear. She was alright with that— Lux knew no one was going to ask her anyway.

As she opened to door to the library, she saw Miss. Whisperday on her computer. It was only Wednesday so maybe she wouldn't kick her out too early. Lux hurried down to her favorite seat near the back of the building but someone was already there. She stopped dead in her tracks when she recognized the person. Her lilac eye twitched in anger at the older teen lazily flipping through his book. She stomped over to him and slammed her textbooks on the table in front of him.

"What are you doing here, Kayn?" She growled.

"I'm trying to study. What does it look like?" He snapped back.

"You know," Lux started. She looked over her shoulder to the librarian to see if she was watching them. Thankfully, she kept her eyes on the screen in front of her. The teen glared back down at Kayn, "I was here at lunch the last two days and you didn't bother to show up for tutoring! Do you realize you're costing me my grade?!"

"Look, Lucy…"

"Lux."

"Look, Lux." Kayn snarled, "I didn't come because I had to gather some extra credit." He grabbed a thick packet from underneath his textbook and showed the girl. "I have to finish it by Friday to get the grade up."

"Okay, I guess I'll leave you to it." Lux shrugged as she picked up her books and began to walk away. In her mind, she knew that Kayn was going to stop her. She smugly grinned as turned around. As she got further away from Kayn, she realized he wasn't going to beg for her help like she hoped. The girl turned around, now even more annoyed. "You're not going to ask me to help you?"

"You said it was your grade, remember. If you leave me on my own, I'll be sure to let Mr. Caulfield know." Kayn answered without looking up from his work.

Lux huffed as she set her belongings across from him and took a seat. She brought out her pencils, trying to keep her anger down. As she shuffled through her bag for her things, her hand bumped into the baton. She watched it glimmer before zipping up her backpack. The young girl could feel him looking at her. She glanced up and saw his yellow eyes watching her unpack. Lux suddenly felt hot.

"Alright, Brains. I hope you can finish this by Friday." Kayn said as he tossed her his packet of work.

"What?" Lux chuckled dryly. "I'm not doing your work for you."

"Alright, name your price. A hundred bucks? Oh, I know. You'd like a date with me. I can tell you like me because you blush every time you see me. I have that effect on girls." He snickered, "As soon as you finish it, I'll take you out."

Lux couldn't help but laugh when he said that. Her having a crush on him? The only reason she turned red was because she was filling with blood boiling anger when she saw him. She would admit that he was good looking but him just being totally unlikeable is what kept her away. She didn't even know why he teased her. Was it because she was a junior in his senior class? Was it because she was exceptionally smart and he was lazy? She couldn't tell.

"I don't want your money or you…" She said as she threw the papers back at him, "I'll help you because my grade is riding on yours."

"Then why don't you just do it. It's not like you got anything better to do. Everyone in this school knows you just sit in here every day."

"Ugh!" The pink-haired girl scoffed as she jumped up. She unzipped her back and shoved her things back inside. Lux hastily threw it over her shoulder before glaring at him, "You can forget about me helping you. I'll take a lower grade than ever having to speak to you again!"

"Wait, Lux…" She heard Kayn say behind her but she was already storming off.

Lux hurried for the exit as she felt a burning in her eyes. She didn't know why it bothered her so much but Kayn telling her that made her feel worthless. He was right. She did spend most of her time in the library. Even if she had been talking to Janna and Jinx more and more each day, she really couldn't say they were friends. Jinx had ditched school again today and Lux didn't know how to get ahold of her. Janna, much to her surprise, was also absent today. The pink-haired girl pulled out her phone. Her finger hovered over her contacts, debating if she wanted to call Janna.

"Maybe she's busy… or sick…" she sighed. Just then, her watery eyes caught a flashing light coming from across the road. Lux sighed, knowing it had to be one of those monsters again. She hurried for the front entrance of the school as she pulled her baton out from her backpack. She looked down at her phone again, pressing Janna's number. It just kept ringing and ringing. "Janna, pick up. Please!"

* * *

"Lulu, be sure not to wander too far." A blue-haired girl said to her curious friend. The two girls would come to the park after school— it was convenient since it was just across the street. Poppy, the oldest of the two, knew he friend liked walking around after being cooped up in class all day. Lulu, was an odd girl, and no one really understood her like Poppy does. She would talk to plants and animals and claim she could taste colors.

"I know, Poppy. I just wanna see where this butterfly is trying to lead me!" Lulu called back to her.

"Butterfly?" Poppy mumbled as she looked over her shoulder to the other girl.

She saw her green hair enter a empty log. Rolling her eyes, Poppy followed her. She waited for her on the other side of the log, holding her hands on her waist. Not to her surprise, a yellow butterfly flew out of the log. It seemed to want to get as far away from Lulu as it could— the poor thing flapped its wings harder than it should have. Lulu poke ever head out and saw Poppy.

"Aw, I wasn't fast enough."

"It's okay, Lulu." She held out her hand, "Now, hurry and get out of there before the worms crawl up your dress."

"Oh, do you see that!" Lulu pointed a she grabbed her friend's hand.

She hurried to get to her feet, pulling Poppy behind her. The two girls caught a glittering light coming from the playground. Inside the tube slide, they heard an animal purring. Lulu looked inside the slide, giggling loudly.

"Hello, new friend!" She laughed, "What's your name? Pix? I'm Lulu!"

"Lulu, who are you talking to?" Poppy asked, playing along with her imaginative friend. She heard a squeaking sound but she assumed that was just Lulu too.

"Pix!" Lulu said as she crawled out of the slide. "He said he needs me to help him."

"With what?"

"There's a monster. He said he needs your help to. Just stick your head inside the slide," Lulu urged her.

"Okay, Lulu." Poppy chuckled.

She hopped on the slide and stuck her head inside it. Expecting to see nothing, Poppy saw a green little fairy fluttering before her. She gasped as tried to hurry out of the slide. But, the fairy flew through her. Poppy tumbled out and rolled on the foam playground flooring. She looked down at herself, seeing her school clothes transform into a dark blue skirt.

"What the heck?!" Poppy glanced up at Lulu, who was dancing around as Pix flew over her. He dusted his fairy dust on her, turning her clothes into something similar to Poppy only green. Poppy looked down at the star glowing on her chest. It flashed a bright blue before shooting into her palm. The light formed into a giant hammer, almost making Poppy lose her balance.

"Okay, Pix said the monster is this way!"

"Wait, Lulu. How do we know that fairy isn't the monster?!"

"Oh, Poppy. You know I can tell when someone is lying!"

The green-haired freshman lead her friend near the bushes that seperated the park from a thick collection of trees. Poppy could feel her palms sweating when she heard a rumbling coming from the trees. In the shade, she saw a single glowing eye. She yanked Lulu in the opposite direction but her hammer was weighing her down.

"Lulu, I don't like the way that thing looks!"

Then a beam of light shot for them.

* * *

Janna kept her head low as she peeked outside her passenger side window. She lowered her sunglasses while looking for him. Janna had pretended she was sick so she could avoid Yasuo in school. The day before she saw him sitting on her bench near the gymnasium during lunch. She knew that he was looking for her but she couldn't speak to him. If she was trying to avoid him, why was she at his dojo after school?

She worked up the nerve to try and speak to him. Janna wasn't going to skip school just because she was afraid of one boy. She did the math in her head. If she were to skip everyday just to keep him from talking to her, she would fail her classes within a month. Then the school would try to get in touch with her parents. It just wasn't worth it on her part. Just then, she saw Yasuo walk by her car with his wooden sword. She gasped, panicking to turn on her car but she flung them somewhere on the floor. The noise coming from inside her car made Yasuo stop.

"Oh, no!" She whispered to herself. He tapped on her window, making her jolt up and hit her head on the roof. She rubbed the top of her head, "Ow…"

"Hey, you're Janna, right?" He asked from the window. Janna sighed as she rolled down the glass to hear him better.

"Yeah… T-That's me." She said.

"I never to to properly thank you for the other day." He said with a rugged smile. Yasuo leaned on her car door, "What was all that about anyway. Did you follow me into the alley that day?" He laughed most likely joking.

"I, uh, not really." She blushed.

"Do you mind if we talk?" Yasuo asked, his voice soft.

"S-Sure!" Janna was internally freaking out as she unlocked her door. "But don't you have some training?"

"I can miss a day." He said while sitting in her car. The teen boy rested his wooden sword on his lap, "How did you know this was my dojo?"

"I just happened to park here! Funny how fate works, huh?" Janna lied.

"Janna, I have something to ask you." He started. Yasuo scratched the back of his neck as he looked for the right words. Janna could hear her own heart beating at the silence grew. What was he planning on asking her? Was he going to ask her to be his girlfriend? No, that was too sudden. Was he going to ask her to stop following him around? That was more likely. Yasuo looked over at her, "I know we don't know each other that well but… are you like a witch or something?"

"It's a lot more complicated than that." Janna sighed as she reached for her book bag in the backseat. She brought it to her lap and took a breath before she unzipped the bag. Her hand reached for the star-shaped emblem that Zephyr rested in. The purple-haired girl pulled it out and showed to the boy sitting beside her, "This came from the sky. It's a long story."

"I have time." Yasuo smiled, "Maybe you can explain it to me over a cup of coffee."

"Oh, Yasuo." Janna could feel her face turning ten shades redder than she was already. "I'd like that. There's actually a place I go to after I…" She was going to say after she watches him practice in the dojo but she caught herself, "After school is over."

"Oh, cool. Let's go."

"Sure, let me just get my keys. I dropped them by…" She saw her glittering keychain near Yasuo's feet. Her brow twitched as she thought about reaching over and practically putting her face in his lap. She could feel herself beginning to sweat. "So lewd," Janna whispered.

"What was that?"

"I said ' _Oh shoes_ '. Th-they're by your shoes." She pointed.

"Oh, I'll get them." Yasuo reached down and picked up her keys by the cat-shaped charm. She had more charms than keys on the chain. "As I expected, you like cute things."

"Thank you," She smiled as he handed her the keys. As she stuck them in the ignition, she heard her phone ringing. Janna pulled it out from her bag and saw that Lux was calling. She sighed, "Do you mind if I answer this really fast?"

"Go ahead." Yasuo said as he leaned back in his seat. His curious eyes looked around her car as she opened the call.

"Yes, Lux?" Janna asked. She listened while staring at Yasuo. "Are you sure it's one of them?" Her strained voice made him glance at her. Their eyes met and for a moment he saw something bothering her. "I… I'm on my way. Try not to get too hurt." Janna sighed as she turned on her car, "Yasuo, I'm sorry. I have to go."

"Does it have something to do with those powers I saw the other day?"

"Yes."

"Let's go. I wanna see you in action, girl!"

"O-Oh. Okay!"

Janna revved up her car before bolting off into the road. The pop music was in tune with her driving— fast and unpredictable. She heard Yasuo laughing as she almost drove up onto the sidewalk. The teen girl couldn't help but chuckle at her own delinquency along with him. She had never done anything this reckless. She glanced over at Yasuo grinning widely as he hung on to his seat. It made Janna wonder why she didn't talk to him sooner.

* * *

Poppy tackled Lulu out of the way of the laser, both of them landing in the sandbox of the playground. She shook the sand from her pigtails, glaring up at the one-eyed monster. As it crept out of the trees, she saw that it had three long tentacles. Poppy ran for her hammer that was lying between her and the monster. A tentacle shot out for her but she slid along the grass, grasping the handle, and swung with all her might. The soft underside of the monster burst open, spraying the young teen with green goop.

"Ew," she groaned.

"Hey!" An unfamiliar voice called from behind them. Poppy turned and saw a pink-haired girl running for them. She was dressed just like her and Lulu, so Poppy trusted her to approach. The girl was short on her breath as she came closer, "Are you two okay?"

"Other than being covered in gross slime, I think we're okay."

"I'm Lux. I bet you and your friend have a bunch of questions." Lux said, sticking out her hand to Poppy. She lifted her up when Poppy grasped her hand. "We call our— AHHH!" The monster they thought was defeated lifted its tentacle and wrapped it around Lux's waist. It lifted it up to its eye. She saw her reflection in the giant iris, and she growled. "In the name of..." Lux was going to swing her baton but she dropped it when it grabbed her. She looked down at it resting on the grass under her, "Crap."

"Lulu, what do we do?!" Poppy shouted back at her friend picking flowers behind them. Lulu glanced up at the monster holding Lux. She went back to picking flowers before standing and walking over to Poppy, showing her the tiny bouquet. The sophomore smacked her hand over her face, "LULU!"

"Oh, easy." The green-haired girl swung the staff that was bigger than her and transformed the monster into a cute little squirrel. It scampered in a circle, confused with its new size. Lux screamed as she came crashing down from the air. Lulu waved her staff again, letting a glittering cloud catch Lux as she came towards the earth. She weaved the flowers she picked into a small crown as she came closer to Lux. Lulu placed it on her head, "That polymorph isn't going to last forever, by the way."

Just as she said, the squirrel blew up into the monster again. It seemed to be angry now. It swung for Lulu and Lux but Poppy came charging for it. The monster glared down at the young teen and lifted its tentacle over her head. Lulu swung her weapon and Poppy grew ten times her size.

"Whoa!" She chuckled. "Alright, baddy! Time to punish you!" Poppy shouted as she lifted her hammer over her head and slammed it down over the monster. To her surprise, it exploded. Its body flew off into different directions, more green goop covered the girls, and the impact left a crater in the ground. Poppy blinked, "I... guess I don't know my own strength!"

"Nice!" Lux cheered, "You two did great!"

"Oh, it was all Lulu." Poppy blushed. Suddenly, she decreased in size. "Aw, I was enjoying the view." She walked over to Lulu and Lux with her hammer. Lux looked through the slime and found her radiant baton underneath an unknown organ of the monster.

"Ugh, that's so gross." Lux groaned.

"I'm Poppy and that's Lulu." Poppy introduced them. Lulu waved up at Lux, who waved back with a grin. "So, you said we had questions. I have one I'd like to ask: uh, what the heck is going on?"

"I'll explain in a moment. How did you get your weapons?" Lux asked.

"From Pix!" Lulu answered, showing the older girl her staff. The star-shaped emblem turned into a fairy, purring at the sight of Lulu. "He gave us Poppy's hammer and my cute new dress!"

"To put it shortly, we're Star Guardians. Girls with magic powers." Lux started, "About a week ago, I got a message from a woman. She said I needed to find the other four of us before things got _bad_. Monsters like those have been appearing and it looks like we're the only one who can stop them." She explained.

"Where are the other two?"

"Jinx... is always ditching school, so I rarely know where she is and Janna—" A car's tires screeching interrupted Lux. The three girls looked behind them and saw two doors fly open. Janna and Yasuo ran over with their weapons in hand. Lux sighed, "That's Janna. You're late. Poppy and Lulu already defeated the monster." Her lilac eyes glared over at Yasuo standing beside Janna, "What's going on?"

"I'm sorry, Lux. When you called..." Janna glanced up at Yasuo, a little blush appearing on her face. "I was a little busy."

"It's my fault," Yasuo started. "I kept Janna away too long."

"Obviously," Lux growled while crossing her arms. "You know, if we didn't have Lulu and Poppy, something bad probably would have happened to me. Jinx is never around and now I can't count on you too?"

"What's with the attitude?" Janna mimicked her tone.

"I'm just saying you getting distracted by **him** could have ended worse than it did." The pink-haired girl pointed at Yasuo with her baton, a light glowed angrily from the end. "Where were you even today? I was alone."

"Nothing new, huh?" Janna frowned as she grabbed Yasuo's arm. Lux's eyes widened in surprise. She didn't think the older girl was capable of such harsh words. Janna pulled Yasuo back to the direction of her car, "Let's go."

Lux watched the two older teens walk back to her car, hearing Janna say something to him about her. She felt the burning in her eyes again. Lulu tugged on her skirt, making her look over at her and Poppy.

"I'm sorry, girls." She apologized, wiping her eyes. Lux faked a smile, "I'll explain this more tomorrow. Can we meet here after school?"

"Sounds good to us, right, Lulu?" Poppy asked her friend glancing up at the teary-eyed girl.

"Okay." Lulu sighed, "Can we get some ice cream?"

"Sure thing." Poppy chuckled as her and Lulu walked away from Lux.

Lux watched them get as far as possible before she let her tears run down her cheeks. She thought Janna was her friend. The young girl walked off, unknowingly still in her Guardian's outfit. She looked up at the sky, seeing the fall clouds rolling it. It was bound to start snowing soon. Lux sighed, feeling her tears drip off her chin. Was she that foolish to think that she could trust some girls she barely knew? What was the woman in the shy thinking? Were they chosen at random or was there more to this? Lux assumed she wouldn't know until the time comes. She sniffled as she looked at her baton, the light was was shinning angrily was now dim. Lux waved it, hiding her outfit when she realized she had walked out into the open in it.

"Hopefully, no one saw."

"Lux?" A familiar voice asked from across the street. In horror, she turned and saw Kayn staring at her. He jogged across the street towards her. She was frozen in fear.

"Oh, no."

* * *

 _Notes: Sorry for a late update. I got a new job!_

 _See you next chapter!_


	5. Chapter 5: More Questions Than Answers

Breaking Light

Chapter Five: More Questions Than Answers

* * *

"Oh no…" Lux whispered to herself as Kayn came closer and closer. The look on his face was a mix of confusion and wariness. He was cautious as he stepped on the sidewalk with her, keeping his distance away from the unknown baton. Lux noticed and hid it behind her back, yet Kayn was still looking at it.

"Lux, what was that?" He asked, his hand pointing towards the park.

"What was what?" She tried to play innocent with a smile. The corner of her lip twitched, giving it away. Lux saw that he noticed this when he sighed angrily.

"That giant monster I just saw! It was big, it had tentacles— it looked like some shit you would see in a science fiction movie! You and some weirdly dressed kids were fighting it!" Kayn growled, "I'm not blind!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Lux dismissed his comment.

The young girl knew she needed to get away from him. If he figured out what really happened, she was fearful for both of their well-being. Even if he did bully her, she knew that guarding this planet meant protecting him too. She stepped away, tripping over a crack in the cement sidewalk. A bubble of light circled around her from the baton, keeping her from hitting the ground. Lux stood up, gazing around at the shining light surrounding her. It illuminated Kayn's glare as the sun set around them.

"What the…" Kayn grimaced.

Was he scared of her? Was he angry? She couldn't tell. Lux just knew she needed to run. She turned on her heel to leave but Kayn caught her by her wrist. His grip kept her from escaping— he even pulled her closer. He yanked her closer until his hands were latched on her upper arms.

Lux didn't know what to do now.

"Lux, what the hell is going on?!"

"Let go!"

"Not until you tell me what is going on!" He demanded. Kayn suddenly stopped and stared at her face. Her usually light and tidy makeup was smudged underneath her lashes. His eyes narrowed at hers, "Were you crying?"

"No, I wasn't crying. It's my autumn allergies!" Lux flipped around to wipe the tears under her eyes, slightly smearing her mascara even worse. She turned back at saw him dully staring back at her.

"You know, you're a terrible liar." Kayn said when he let go of her arm. He snickered, "And don't try and say that wasn't a giant tentacle monster I saw explode." He shook his head before looking back towards the park, "I mean the…" The remains of the creature we gone. All that was left was a seared ground where the body parts had burned the grass. "What the hell?" Kayn turned to look back at Lux, who had started running back towards the trees.

He sprinted for her, following the shining light from her baton. Being a sports star, he caught up to her quickly. Lux looked over her shoulder and saw him just behind her. She extended her baton, silently saying something to it. She swung it with all her might.

"Binding light!" She called out, shooting a beam of light at Kayn. The pink magic wrapped around him like a prism. Lux stopped to catch her breath, watching her magic keep the older boy in one place. She looked down at her baton with a surprised smiled, "I can't believe that worked."

"Lux…" He said, he too a bit exhausted. Kayn glared down at the light wrapping around him, "Now you can't deny that something is going on."

"I can't tell you… even if I wanted to." She shook her head. Lux slightly scowled at him, "Not like you'd understand." The pink-haired girl turned to walk away, still muttering to herself, "You would probably call me some kind of freak and tell everyone in the school."

"I wouldn't." He said loudly enough for her to stop. Kayn uncomfortably sighed, Lux seeing him blushing. She would assume it was the pink light that illuminated his face but he was flushed red. His eyes avoided her for a moment, "I wouldn't tell anyone if you wanted to explain to me what's going on." He bit his lips as if he was trying to keep the last word from escaping him, "Promise…"

"R-Really?" She asked. It was hard to believe him with everything that he'd done to her. She remembered Kayn refusing her tutoring and how he even insulted her. Lux frowned, "But you hate me."

"Ugh!" Kayn shouted up at the sky. He mirrored her expression when he looked back at her, "I don't hate you. Sure, you're a little annoying sometimes but I don't hate you… not at all…"

"So… you like me?"

"UGH!" The older teen seemed like he wanted to disappear but the magic light was illuminating him brightly. Kayn narrowed his eyes, "That's not what I said… but…" He watched her smile and he began to freak out. "Quit grinning at me!"

"I'll answer your questions if you answer mine." Lux proposed.

"O…Kay…" He agreed.

"Why are you always so cruel to me?" She asked, crossing her arms. Lux watched his frown melt into something she's never seen on him: guilt.

"I don't know…" Kayn tugged on his long bangs, "Maybe it has something to do with you not drooling over me like every other girl at school. Maybe… I want the cute smart girl's attention."

"Cute?" Lux chuckled. "You think I'm cute? And smart?"

"Crap…"

"Answer my questions, Kayn." She smirked.

"Yes! Okay! I think you're both cute and smart, Lux. Happy?!"

"Almost. Why didn't you want me to tutor you?"

"I was… embarrassed. Because, one, the cute girl was going to see how dumb I really am. And, two, I thought I could do it on my own. Turns out, I can't. That's why I was in the library today. I was hoping you'd be there and you were. Yet, my ego… made me say things I didn't mean." Kayn rubbed the back of his neck.

"I don't think you're dumb." She took a step closer when he looked away from her. "Kayn," Lux kneeled on the grass in front of him. She felt this fluttering sensation in her guts as she looked at him in this almost literal new light. "I have one last question and then you can ask me anything. But you can't lie just to make me feel better."

"S-sure."

"Do you like me? Like, like-like?"

"Like-Like?"

"You know, like-like. Like how Janna likes Yasuo."

"Ew, Janna likes Yasuo?"

"Whoops." Lux smacked her hand over her face, "Wait don't avoid my question with more questions!"

"You mean your like-like question?"

"You're doing it again!"

"Fine. To answer you…" Kayn rolled his eyes, "Yes. I like-like you. Like how Janna like-likes Yasuo." He whispered to himself, "Probably more than Janna and Yasuo but whatever."

Lux felt her face burning in embarrassment. What Janna had said about Kayn having a crush on her was true. Her mind flew back to all the times he had picked on her like an old VHS rewinding. She could recall on all the times she had caught him staring at her. He would always be scowling but maybe that was to cover his true feelings.

"I knew it."

"You knew it?!"

"Of course!" Lux smirked like she knew all along. She definitely didn't just figure it out— Kayn didn't know that. She flipped her pink hair over shoulders triumphantly.

"Now it's my turn, Lux." Kayn growled. He waited for the girl in front of him to settle down. He glanced around, searching for the best way to ask her everything. The older teen sighed, "Jeez. Do you hate me?"

"I.. uh…" Lux mumbled.

The more she thought about it. She didn't really hate him. Obviously, she held a bit of distaste for him. He was that popular kid that everyone adored even when he was just a jerk. The girl gazed at him, her proud smile fading. His long hair hung in his beautiful yellow eyes as he stared back at her, waiting for her answer. Deep within them, she swore that she saw a twinkle of Hope. Did he want her to like him? Would be upset if she didn't? Would he move on? How long did he even have these feelings and thoughts? Lux was barely just discovering them now.

Every time that she saw Kayn in the hallways it in class she was filled with this unbridled anger. However, was that because she hated him or was it something else? The silence between them drove her thoughts even deeper into the rabbit hole. Was her anger fueled by something else? When he teased her, was she subconsciously wishing he was treating her kindly? He wanted the attention of the girl he liked. In a way, she never pushed him away. She could have easily told a teacher about his bullying. Yet, she never did. She would always anticipate seeing him but never despised it.

Lux lightly swung her baton as she bit her lip. She knew. Deep down she always knew even if she wasn't aware of it. She didn't hate him. The pink-haired girl felt her tears welling up in her eyes again. Lux turned her face away from Kayn, fearing that if she stared at his hopeful eyes any longer, she would cry. The older teen gazed around at the light prism holding him down starting to fade. It flickered until it was completely fine. Lux didn't see that he was free. She kept her sight on a patch of yellow flowers in the grass— they were the same color as Kayn's eyes.

"No, I don't hate you." She finally answered.

Lux continued to stare at the flowers until she felt Kayn reach for her hand. Her head whipped around, seeing his hand on top of her. He opened his palm, inviting her to lace her fingers with his. She kept her palm on her knee when she focused back on Kayn. He was looking down at their hands before turning to her.

"Do you think you could ever… like-like me?" He asked quietly.

"Kayn…" Lux started. She looked down at his hand beginning to pull away from hers but she caught his fingertips. Like a blooming flower, his hand opened up again and she immediately laced her fingers with his. They gazed back each other again, making Lux's tears reappear. She let out a little giggle, "I think I always have."

"I have one last question."

"Okay," she smiled.

"May I kiss you?"

"Yes."

Kayn tugged on her hand, bringing her a bit closer. Lux let herself be pulled into his embrace, her eyes fluttering shut. The older teen lightly pressed his lips on hers like a butterfly on flower petals. There was a shocking difference between this kiss and the Kayn Lux thought she knew. Kayn was brash but his kiss was soft. He was cocky but this little gesture seemed to be unsure of itself. Lux assures him by pressing fully against him. She felt Kayn grin which made her tears fall.

As her eyes fluttered shut, she saw stars. It was a beautiful cluster of galaxies in her own sky. Rose-colored clouds against the lilac and cerulean with twinkling stars staring down at her and Kayn. The stars shot across the sky when Lux wrapped her arms around Kayn's neck. Lips parted, allowing swirling tongues to meet. The stars grew brighter as the kiss between the two teens deepened. Kayn pulled away, leaving Lux still dazed and seeing those stars in her eyes. She blinked, seeing him just inches away. His face was still that cute burning red but he was smiling.

"You didn't ask about the monst—" Lux started by Kayn hushed her with a quick kiss.

"I'll let you tell me when you're ready."

"O-Oh!" She stuttered.

Kayn looked up at the sky peeking from in between the tree branches and he saw that the evening was upon them. He stood up and offered his hand to Lux, which she gladly took. Lifting her to her feet, Kayn grinned.

"It's getting late. Can I give you a ride home? I know you walk but— nevermind. I'm giving you a ride. Come on," he said.

Lux held on to his as she followed him out to the sidewalk. She spotted his car parked in the teacher's lot. She knew it was his because his black and expensive car was admired by everyone… even the administration. The pink-haired girl rolled her eyes but still took his offer. As she followed him, she understood something about him. Kayn was hiding his true feelings underneath a false exterior. He pretended to hate Lux but deep down he really liked her.

That got her thinking about her other friends...


End file.
